Bedford County Confederate Veterans filling out the
Tennessee Civil War Veterans Questionnaire

Name

Company

Regiment

Adams, Samuel J.

B

4th TN Cav.

Alexander, McKager C.

Not stated

45th TN

Beard, William D.

B

53rd TN

Brown, Ridley S.

F

17th TN

Carrick, Thomas F.

H

21st TN

Chapman, C.S.

Not stated

32nd TN

Coop, James H.

Not stated

18th TN

Cooper, Goldman G.

F

51st TN

Curtis, John W.

Not stated

4th TN

Dillard, Francis M.

Not stated

23rd TN

Driver, Tomas N.

Not stated

6th TN

Fonvielle, William B.

E

41st TN

Friddle, Alfred

Not stated

41st TN

Gregory, John T.

Not stated

41st TN

Grubb, B. Alphard

H

33rd TN

Harris, John Dennis

Not stated

41st TN Vol.

Hastings, Joe H.

A

17th TN

Hatchett, Thomas

D

2nd TN

Hight, William G.

Not stated

Not stated-

Hoover, Baxter R.

E

4th TN Cav.

Jones, James Yell

I

23rd TN

Landers, Flavius S.

Not stated

23rd TN

Little, Thomas C.

A

Forrest's Cav.

Lloyd, James K.P.

Not stated

17th TN

Montgomery, Elias G.

Not stated

Forrest's Escort

Moore,William B.

F

23rd TN

Mosley, James A.

Not stated

23rd TN

Mullins, William V.

Not stated

23rd TN

Nelson, John Thompson

Not stated

8th TX Inf.

Philpot, William Allen

E

23rd TN Inf.

Prince, James Pinkney

Not stated

Newman's Bat.

Sehorn, William Marion

Not stated

34th AL

Sutherlin, Marcus H.

D

1st AL Cav.

Thompson, Zack

Not stated

7th TN Inf.

Victory, Isaac

A

4th TN Cav.

Winn, Luther L.

Not stated

Forrest's Reg.

Wood, Thomas W.

Not stated

18th TN

For information on how to obtain a copy of the above
questionnaires, please click here.

Bedford County and the Civil War

Bedford County was divided on the great questions which led to the
late civil war, and when the election was held June 8, 1861 to vote
for or against separation from the Union and representation in a
Confederate Congress, the county voted in the negative by a majority
of nearly 200. When the time came for action the county furnished
almost as many soldiers to the Northern as to the Southern army.
Indeed, so loyal was Shelbyville to the Union as to earn for the town
the name of "Little Boston," and being on the line of march of both
armies, witnessed many movements and counter-movements of large
bodies of troops, and though much damage was sustained to property
and not a few lives lost, yet through the influence of prominent
citizens on both sides the consequences were no more serious than
could have been expected in time of war.

In September, 1861, the "Shelbyville Rebels," the first
Confederate company raised in the county, was organized by the
election of A. S. Boon as captain. Immediately following this
company, Confederate companies were organized as follows, all of
which were mustered into the Forty-first
Regiment of Tennessee Infantry: Scudder Rifles, Capt. W.
C. Blanton, organized in the vicinity of Unionville; Erwin
Guards, Capt. M. Payne, organized at Wartrace; Richmond
Guards, Capt. Brown, organized in the vicinity of Richmond; a
Flat Creek company, under Capt. Keith, and Capt. J. F. Neil's
Bell Buckle company, also about half of Capt. Thomas Miller's
company, which went from Marshall County, was made up from
Bedford County by those living near the county line.

During the same year a company was organized at Bell Buckle, and
James Dennison elected captain, which joined the Second
Regiment of Tennessee Infantry. During the summer of 1861
three companies were organized in the county, and joined the
Seventeenth
Regiment of Tennessee Infantry. (More info on the Seventeenth
may be found here.)They
were as follows: a Flat Creek company, Capt. J. D. Hoyl; a
Fairfield company, Capt. James L. Armstrong, and Capt. W.
A. Landis' company, made up part in Bedford and part in Lincoln
County. In 1862 a company of artillery was organized in Shelbyville,
of which J. L. Burt was elected captain, and Capt., It. B.
Blackwell also took out a company in that year.

In 1862 Capt. Montgomery Little was deputized by Gen.
Forrest to raise a company of 100 men to act as an escort to the
daring cavalry commander, which company was to be mounted and known
as "Forrest's Escorts." Capt. Little proceeded to Shelbyville
where, October 6, 1862, he completed the organization of the Escorts.
The company was composed of the picked men from Bedford, Rutherford,
Lincoln, Marshall and Moore Counties, and were provided with choice
arms and the best horses the county afforded. On the above date the
escort fell into line in front of the court house, on the south side,
in Shelbyville, from which place they took up their line of march to
Nashville, and from that time until the close of the war was with
Gen. Forrest through all his campaigns.

The Federal troops furnished by Bedford County were as
follows: Those who were attached to the Fifth Regiment of
Tennessee Mounted Infantry: Capt. R. C. Couch's company, Capt.
J. L. Hix's company, Capt. Robert C. Wortham's company and
Capt. Rickman's company. Those of the Fourth Tennessee
Regiment of Mounted Infantry: Capt. Jaynes Wortham's company and
Capt. John W. Phillips's: and Capt. C. B. Word's
company, of the Tenth
Tennessee Mounted Infantry, known as Johnson's Guards.

Throughout the war Shelbyville was infested with troops at short
intervals, first the Confederates and then the Federals having
possession. The same troops also visited Wartrace, and at that place
entrenchments were thrown up by the Confederates, while the latter
also dug a line of rifle pits around Shelbyville, extending from
Horse Mountain to Duck River, and on the mountain both armies
established signal stations at different times. The first troops to
visit Shelbyville was a detachment of Confederates under command of
Col. Gordon, during the summer of 1861. During 1862 troops
visited the town as follows: Fourth Ohio Cavalry, Gen. Forrest's
cavalry, Gen. Mitchell's division, Gen. Lytle's brigade,
Seventy-eighth Pennsylvania Regiment of Infantry, Gen. Wood's
division,the First Kentucky Cavalry and Gen. Albert Sidney
Johnston's entire army corps, who came here on their retreat from
Bowling Green, KY While here Gen. Johnston replenished his
commissary department with about 30,000 head of hogs and a large
quantity of beef. In April, 1863, Gen. Bragg's army was
encamped in Shelbyville for a month or more. After the battle of
Murfreesboro in December, Gen. Bragg retreated to Shelbyville,
and going into camp remained until January, 1864. During 1864 Gen.
Milroy's division, a Missouri regiment of infantry, under command
of Col. Fox and the One Hundred and Seventh New York
Regiment of Infantry encamped in Shelbyville.

At Wartrace, in April, 1862, the Forty-second Regiment Indiana
Infantry, was attacked by Col. Starn's Regiment, when a
sharp skirmish took place. In 1863 a lively skirmish occurred between
the Fifth Tennessee Cavalry and the Confederate Cavalry
under Gen. Wheeler at Wartrace, and in October following, Gen.
Wheeler again had a brush with the Federal Cavalry, between 3,000
and 4,000 men being in the fight, two miles west of Shelbyville, in
which quite a number were killed and wounded. On the 27th of June,
1863, four companies of the Fifth Tennessee made an attack on
the Confederates who were holding Shelbyville. The Federals,
commanded by Col. Bob Galbraith, advanced from Guy's Gap, and
by the time Shelbyville was reached the Confederates were on the
retreat. A running fight occurred on Martin Street, during
which several were killed on the Confederate side. The Confederates
retreated from the town and crossed Duck River at the Scull Camp
bridge, at which point, being so closely pursued, they threw a large
brass field-piece from the bridge into the river, and the cannon
remains to this day in the mud at the bottom of the river. No lives
were lost on the Federal side during the hot engagement.

In May, 1864, twelve soldiers belonging to the Fourth Tennessee
Mounted Infantry (Federal), were captured while guarding the
Shelbyville depot, which was stored with hay, by Robert B.
Blackwell, who was at the head of a company of bushwhackers. The
depot and contents were burned, and the twelve soldiers escorted a
short distance from town and shot.

The above info was taken from Goodspeed's History of
Bedford County.

Edward Jordan Lanham
provided the following in case it might be of use to those doing
research in Bedford County:

John Green Mosely/Mosley, PVT ( listed under both surname spellings on
the Confederate Rolls) joined on 18 jun 1862 in Bedford Co. Reported
for duty on July 18 1862. Enlisted Aug 18 1862 in Big Springs Va. He
was a member of the 8th TN ( Smiths) Cavalry. He was discharged Jan 28
1863 as being over 40 years of age. We have found no further paperwork
on him as of 2012 . He was listed on the rolls as present and paid, or
due to be paid, until the date specified. Submitted by Gloria
Lange, a descendant.

Martha Smotherman Mendez provided the following information.
Questions should be directed to her.

List of Civil War Soldiers Discharge Papers

Recently while I was looking at the Bedford County Deed Books
index on micro film from the Tennessee State Library and Archives, I
came across an entry in the LLL Book in the index.

"For End of Soldiers discharge see end of "Direct" Deeds"

To me is is a mystery why the clerk would record in LLL book the
civil war discharge entries in the EEE and FFF books. This may remain
a mystery.

I attempted to write them down. There maybe discharge papers in
other deed books, but I did not find them. I looked at the actual
Deed Book EEE, in the Land Deed Office in Bedford County. In some
instances it gives the rank, and the unit the soldiers served with.
There were over 50 soldiers who listed their discharge.